Mobile Terminal

ABSTRACT

A mobile terminal includes a metal frame including a base portion and an edge portion formed along the outer edge of the base portion, first and second cases bonded to the front and back sides of the metal frame so as to expose the edge portion to the outside, first and second waterproof layers formed between the cases and the metal frame, conductive members that operate a radiator for antennas, together with the edge portion, and are formed on one side of the second case, and feeding portions for feeding the conductive members, the feeding portions being disposed in an enclosed space formed by the waterproof layers.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119(a), this application claims the benefit ofearlier filing date and right of priority to Korean Application No.10-2013-0149413, filed on Dec. 3, 2013, the contents of which isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal having an antennadevice capable of transmitting and receiving radio signals.

2. Background of the Invention

As a mobile terminal becomes multifunctional, the mobile terminal can beallowed to capture still images or moving images, play music or videofiles, play games, receive broadcast, etc., so as to be implemented asan integrated multimedia player.

Terminals can be divided into mobile/portable terminals and stationaryterminals according to their mobility. The mobile terminal is a portabledevice that can be carried anywhere and have one or more of a functionof performing voice and video calls, a function of inputting/outputtinginformation, a function of storing data, etc.

In order to support and enhance such functions of the terminal, it canbe considered to improve the configuration and/or software of theterminal.

With the recent trend of mobile terminals moving toward LTE service andsmart phones, performance degradation and user inconvenience due tointernal heat generation have been an issue. Especially, smart phones,which may require data throughput (LTE) of 100 Mbps and performancesimilar to PCs, operate at a 1 GHZ clock speed or faster, which causesgeneration of heat, resulting in a severe problem.

Moreover, there is a growing demand for mobile terminals which areoperable even in a more severe environment so as to prevent malfunctionsof the terminals even when dropped in water temporarily.

Accordingly, a mobile terminal having a novel structure capable ofreleasing heat generated from a variety of elements while keeping theinside sealed for water proof may be taken into consideration.

In addition to these attempts, there might be ways to improve the radiocommunication performance of mobile terminals with the functions of heatrelease and waterproof.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposeof this specification, as embodied and broadly described herein, thereis provided a mobile terminal according to one embodiment of the presentinvention, the mobile terminal including: a metal frame including a baseportion and an edge portion formed along the outer edge of the baseportion; first and second cases bonded to the front and back sides ofthe metal frame so as to expose the edge portion to the outside; firstand second waterproof layers formed between the cases and the metalframe; conductive members that operate a radiator for antennas, togetherwith the edge portion, and are formed on one side of the second case;and feeding portions for feeding the conductive members, the feedingportions being disposed in an enclosed space formed by the waterprooflayers.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the mobileterminal may further include a non-metal coupling portion that isintegrated with the metal frame so as to separate off an edge portionformation area and a base portion formation area.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the waterprooflayers may be formed between the non-metal coupling portion and thecases.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the non-metalcoupling portion may include a socket mounting portion where a socketadapted to electrically connect external equipment is mounted, and athrough portion may be formed in a barrier rib defining the socketmounting portion so that the socket and a main circuit board formed inthe enclosed space are interconnected by a flexible circuit board thatpasses through the through portion.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the conductivemembers may include a first radiation member that is fed by a firstfeeding portion and a second radiation member that is fed by a secondfeeding portion, and the first and second radiation members may beformed on one side of the second case that covers the socket mountingportion.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the edge portionmay include a first edge member and a second edge member that are formedon either side, with the socket interposed therebetween, the firstradiation member and the first edge member may be formed parallel andcapacitively coupled to each other in a given area, and the secondradiation member and the second edge member may be directly connected toeach other.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the feedingportions may be formed on the sub circuit board that is connected to themain circuit board, and one side of the radiation members may beconnected to the feeding portions by pins that penetrate the secondcase.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the other side ofthe second radiation member may be connected to the second edge memberby a fastening portion that penetrates the second case.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the metal framemay further include: a through hole through which the fastening portionis inserted; and a conductive connector that extends from the innerperiphery of the through hole to the second edge member.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the non-metalcoupling portion may include an earphone jack coupler that allows forelectrical connection of external equipment, and the earphone jackcoupler may be connected to the flexible circuit board.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the flexiblecircuit board may be connected to the sub circuit board, and theflexible circuit board may include a mismatch portion including at leastone inductor or capacitor so as to prevent the earphone jack couplerfrom operating as an antenna radiator.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a display and thesub circuit board may be respectively disposed on the front and backsides of the metal frame, and a shielding member may be formed betweenthe sub circuit board and the display.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the display mayinclude: a display module configured to display image information; and awindow bonded to the display module to cover one side of the displaymodule, wherein the first case may include a window holder to which thewindow is bonded.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a third waterprooflayer may be formed between the window holder and the window.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the first andsecond edge members constituting a radiator for first and secondantennas may be formed on one side of the metal frame, and third andfourth edge members constituting a radiator for third and fourthradiators may be formed on the other side of the metal frame.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the third edgemember may be detachably coupled to the metal frame.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the third edgemember may include: a metal body; a waterproof portion formed along theedge of the back side of the metal body; and a hook portion thatattaches the metal body to at least one of the first case, the secondcase, and the metal frame.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the metal body maybe capacitively coupled to a third conductive member formed on one sideof the second case.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the metal framemay include a hole that is covered by the non-metal coupling portion sothat the non-metal coupling portion is integrated with the metal frameby plastic overmolding.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposeof this specification, as embodied and broadly described herein, thereis provided a mobile terminal according to another embodiment of thepresent invention, the mobile terminal including: a metal framelaterally exposed to the outside, and having a display and a maincircuit board bonded to either side to release heat; first and secondcases bonded to either side of the metal frame so as to cover thedisplay and the main circuit board; first and second waterproof layersformed between the cases and the metal frame to enclose the inside; andfeeding portions for feeding the conductive members, the feedingportions being disposed in an enclosed space formed by the waterprooflayers.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the metal framemay include a base portion and an edge portion formed along the outeredge of the base portion.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the mobileterminal may further include conductive members that operate a radiatorfor antennas, together with the edge portion, and are formed on one sideof the second case.

A mobile terminal according to at least one of the above-describedembodiments of the present invention can keep the temperature within acertain range to prevent a temperature rise caused by heat generationfrom electric elements, provide waterproof functionality, and achieveimproved antenna performance.

Moreover, the main radiation area is directed lengthwise outward fromthe bottom of the terminal. Accordingly, deterioration of radiationcharacteristics due to a hand effect in a high-frequency band can bereduced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments andtogether with the description serve to explain the principles of theinvention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a mobile terminal according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the mobile terminal of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a rear view of a metal frame according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 7 is a view of the metal frame of FIG. 6 with a non-metal couplingportion bonded to it;

FIG. 8 is a view showing the front side of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a view showing a battery, circuit boards, etc being mounted onthe metal frame with the non-metal coupling portion of FIG. 7 bonded toit;

FIG. 10 is a view showing the front side of a second case according toan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a view showing the back side of the second case according toan embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 12 a and 12 b are conceptual views showing a comparative exampleand an embodiment, respectively, which illustrate examples in whichslits are cut through edge members;

FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing the positions of antenna devicesaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of firstand second antenna devices formed at the bottom of a mobile terminalaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of thirdand fourth antenna devices formed at the top of a mobile terminalaccording to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of the thirdedge member of FIG. 15.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Description will now be given in detail of the exemplary embodiments,with reference to the accompanying drawings. For the sake of briefdescription with reference to the drawings, the same or equivalentcomponents will be provided with the same reference numbers, anddescription thereof will not be repeated. In addition, a suffix “module”or “unit” used for constituent elements disclosed in the followingdescription is merely intended for easy description of thespecification, and the suffix itself does not give any special meaningor function. In describing the present invention, moreover, the detaileddescription will be omitted when a specific description for publiclyknown technologies to which the invention pertains is judged to obscurethe gist of the present invention. Also, it should be noted that theaccompanying drawings are merely illustrated to easily explain thespirit of the invention, and therefore, they should not be construed tolimit the spirit of the invention by the accompanying drawings.

The mobile terminal according to the present invention may include aportable phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a digital broadcastingterminal, Personal Digital Assistants (PDA), Portable Multimedia Player(PMP), a navigation system, a slate PC, a tablet PC, a notebook, etc.However, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the presentinvention may be also applicable to a fixed terminal such as a digitalTV and a desktop computer.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to anembodiment of the present invention.

The mobile terminal 100 may comprise components, such as a wirelesscommunication unit 110, an Audio/Video (A/V) input unit 120, a userinput unit 130, a sensing unit 140, an output module 150, a memory 160,an interface unit 170, a controller 180, a power supply unit 190, andthe like. FIG. 1 shows the mobile terminal 100 having variouscomponents, but it is understood that implementing all of theillustrated components is not a requirement. Greater or fewer componentsmay alternatively be implemented.

Hereinafter, each component is described in sequence.

The wireless communication unit 110 may typically include one or morecomponents which permit wireless communications between the mobileterminal 100 and a wireless communication system or between the mobileterminal 100 and a network within which the mobile terminal 100 islocated. For example, the wireless communication unit 110 may include atleast one of a broadcast receiving module 111, a mobile communicationmodule 112, a wireless internet module 113, a short-range communicationmodule 114 and a location information module 115.

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives broadcast signals and/orbroadcast associated information from an external broadcast managementserver (or other network entity) via a broadcast channel.

The broadcast channel may include a satellite channel and/or aterrestrial channel. The broadcast management server may be a serverthat generates and transmits a broadcast signal and/or broadcastassociated information or a server that receives a previously generatedbroadcast signal and/or broadcast associated information and transmitsthe same to a terminal. The broadcast associated information may referto information associated with a broadcast channel, a broadcast programor a broadcast service provider. The broadcast signal may include a TVbroadcast signal, a radio broadcast signal, a data broadcast signal, andthe like. Also, the broadcast signal may further include a broadcastsignal combined with a TV or radio broadcast signal.

The broadcast associated information may also be provided via a mobilecommunication network and, in this case, the broadcast associatedinformation may be received by the mobile communication module 112.

The broadcast signal may exist in various forms. For example, it mayexist in the form of an electronic program guide (EPG) of digitalmultimedia broadcasting (DMB), electronic service guide (ESG) of digitalvideo broadcast-handheld (DVB-H), and the like.

The broadcast receiving module 111 may be configured to receive signalsbroadcast by using various types of broadcast systems. In particular,the broadcast receiving module 111 may receive a digital broadcast byusing a digital broadcast system such as multimediabroadcasting-terrestrial (DMB-T), digital multimediabroadcasting-satellite (DMB-S), digital video broadcast-handheld(DVB-H), the data broadcasting system known as media forward link only(MediaFLO®), integrated services digital broadcast-terrestrial (ISDB-T),etc. The broadcast receiving module 111 may be configured to be suitablefor every broadcast system that provides a broadcast signal as well asthe above-mentioned digital broadcast systems.

Broadcasting signals and/or broadcasting associated information receivedthrough the broadcast receiving module 111 may be stored in the memory160.

The mobile communication module 112 transmits/receives wireless signalsto/from at least one of network entities (e.g., base station, anexternal terminal, a server, etc.) on a mobile communication network.Here, the wireless signals may include audio call signal, video callsignal, or various formats of data according to transmission/receptionof text/multimedia messages.

The mobile communication module 112 is configured to implement a videocall mode and a voice call mode. The video call mode indicates a callperformed while a user views counterpart, whereas the voice call modeindicates a call performed while a user does not view counterpart. Forimplementation of the video call mode and the voice call mode, themobile communication module 112 is configured to transmit and receive atleast one of voice data and image data.

The wireless internet module 113 supports wireless Internet access forthe mobile terminal. This module may be internally or externally coupledto the mobile terminal 100. Examples of such wireless Internet accessmay include Wireless LAN (WLAN) (Wi-Fi), Wireless Broadband (Wibro),World Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wimax), High Speed DownlinkPacket Access (HSDPA), and the like.

The short-range communication module 114 denotes a module forshort-range communications. Suitable technologies for implementing thismodule may include BLUETOOTH, Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID),Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra-WideBand (UWB), ZigBee, and thelike.

The location information module 115 denotes a module for sensing orcalculating a location of a mobile terminal. An example of the locationinformation module 115 may include a Global Positioning System (GPS)module.

Referring to FIG. 1, the A/V input unit 120 is configured to receive anaudio or video signal. The A/V input unit 120 may include a camera 121,a microphone 122 or the like. The camera 121 processes image frames suchas still images or moving images acquired by an image sensor in a videocall mode or an image capturing mode. The processed image frames may bedisplayed on a display unit 151.

The image frames processed by the camera 121 may be stored in the memory160 or transmitted to the outside via the wireless communication unit110. Two or more cameras 121 may be provided according to theconfiguration of the mobile terminal.

The microphone 122 may receive sounds (audible data) via a microphone ina phone call mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, and thelike, and can process such sounds into audio data. The processed audio(voice) data may be converted for output into a format transmittable toa mobile communication base station via the mobile communication module112 in case of the phone call mode. The microphone 122 may implementvarious types of noise canceling (or suppression) algorithms to cancel(or suppress) noise or interference generated while receiving andtransmitting audio signals.

The user input unit 130 may generate input data for allowing a user tocontrol various operations of the mobile communication terminal. Theuser input unit 130 may include a keypad, a dome switch, a touch pad(e.g., a touch sensitive member that detects changes in resistance,pressure, capacitance, etc. due to being contacted) a jog wheel, a jogswitch, and the like.

The sensing unit 140 detects a current status (or state) of the mobileterminal 100 such as an opened or closed state of the mobile terminal100, a location of the mobile terminal 100, the presence or absence ofuser contact with the mobile terminal 100 (e.g., touch inputs), theorientation of the mobile terminal 100, an acceleration or decelerationmovement and direction of the mobile terminal 100, etc., and generatescommands or signals for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal100. For example, when the mobile terminal 100 is implemented as a slidetype mobile phone, the sensing unit 140 may sense whether the slidephone is open or closed. In addition, the sensing unit 140 can detectwhether or not the power supply unit 190 supplies power or whether ornot the interface unit 170 is coupled with an external device. Thesensing unit 140 may include a proximity sensor 141.

The output unit 150 is configured to provide outputs in a visual,audible, and/or tactile manner. The output unit 150 may include thedisplay unit 151, a stereoscopic display unit 152, an audio outputmodule 153, an alarm unit 154, a haptic module 155, and the like.

The display unit 151 may display information processed in the mobileterminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal 100 is in a phonecall mode, the display unit 151 may display a User Interface (UI) or aGraphic User Interface (GUI) associated with a call. When the mobileterminal 100 is in a video call mode or image capturing mode, thedisplay unit 151 may display a captured image and/or received image, ora UI or GUI.

The display unit 151 may include at least one of a Liquid CrystalDisplay (LCD), a Thin Film Transistor-LCD (TFT-LCD), an Organic LightEmitting Diode (OLED) display, a flexible display, a three-dimensional(3D) display, or the like.

Some of these displays may be configured to be transparent so thatoutside may be seen therethrough, which may be referred to as atransparent display. A representative example of the transparent displaymay include a Transparent Organic Light Emitting Diode (TOLED), and thelike. The rear surface portion of the display unit 151 may also beimplemented to be optically transparent. Under this configuration, auser can view an object positioned at a rear side of a body through aregion occupied by the display unit 151 of the body.

The display unit 151 may be implemented in two or more in numberaccording to a configured aspect of the mobile terminal 100. Forinstance, a plurality of displays may be arranged on one surfaceintegrally or separately, or may be arranged on different surfaces.

The display unit 151 may also be implemented as a stereoscopic displayunit 152 for displaying stereoscopic images.

Here, the stereoscopic image may be a three-dimensional (3D)stereoscopic image, and the 3D stereoscopic image is an image refers toan image making a viewer feel that a gradual depth and reality of anobject on a monitor or a screen is the same as a reality space. A 3Dstereoscopic image is implemented by using binocular disparity.Binocular disparity refers to disparity made by the positions of twoeyes. When two eyes view different 2D images, the images are transferredto the brain through the retina and combined in the brain to provide theperception of depth and reality sense.

The stereoscopic display unit 152 may employ a stereoscopic displayscheme such as stereoscopic scheme (a glass scheme), anauto-stereoscopic scheme (glassless scheme), a projection scheme(holographic scheme), or the like. Stereoscopic schemes commonly usedfor home television receivers, or the like, include Wheatstonestereoscopic scheme, or the like.

The auto-stereoscopic scheme includes, for example, a parallax barrierscheme, a lenticular scheme, an integral imaging scheme, or the like.The projection scheme includes a reflective holographic scheme, atransmissive holographic scheme, or the like.

In general, a 3D stereoscopic image is comprised of a left image (a lefteye image) and a right image (a right eye image). According to how leftand right images are combined into a 3D stereoscopic image, the 3Dstereoscopic imaging method is divided into a top-down method in whichleft and right images are disposed up and down in a frame, an L-to-R(left-to-right, side by side) method in which left and right images aredisposed left and right in a frame, a checker board method in whichfragments of left and right images are disposed in a tile form, aninterlaced method in which left and right images are alternatelydisposed by columns and rows, and a time sequential (or frame by frame)method in which left and right images are alternately displayed by time.

Also, as for a 3D thumbnail image, a left image thumbnail and a rightimage thumbnail are generated from a left image and a right image of theoriginal image frame, respectively, and then combined to generate asingle 3D thumbnail image. In general, thumbnail refers to a reducedimage or a reduced still image. The thusly generated left imagethumbnail and the right image thumbnail are displayed with a horizontaldistance difference therebetween by a depth corresponding to thedisparity between the left image and the right image on the screen,providing a stereoscopic space sense.

As illustrated, a left image and a right image required for implementinga 3D stereoscopic image is displayed on the stereoscopic display unit152 by a stereoscopic processing unit (not shown). The stereoscopicprocessing unit may receive the 3D image and extract the left image andthe right image, or may receive the 2D image and change it into a leftimage and a right image.

Here, if the display unit 151 and a touch sensitive sensor (referred toas a touch sensor) have a layered structure therebetween, the structuremay be referred to as a touch screen. The display unit 151 may be usedas an input device rather than an output device. The touch sensor may beimplemented as a touch film, a touch sheet, a touch pad, and the like.

The touch sensor may be configured to convert changes of a pressureapplied to a specific part of the display unit 151, or capacitanceoccurring from a specific part of the display unit 151, into electricinput signals. Also, the touch sensor may be configured to sense notonly a touched position and a touched area, but also a touch pressure.Here, a touch object is an object to apply a touch input onto the touchsensor. Examples of the touch object may include a finger, a touch pen,a stylus pen, a pointer or the like.

When touch inputs are sensed by the touch sensors, corresponding signalsare transmitted to a touch controller (not shown). The touch controllerprocesses the received signals, and then transmits corresponding data tothe controller 180. Accordingly, the controller 180 may sense whichregion of the display unit 151 has been touched.

Referring to FIG. 1, a proximity sensor 141 may be arranged at an innerregion of the mobile terminal blocked by the touch screen, or near thetouch screen. The proximity sensor 141 indicates a sensor to sensepresence or absence of an object approaching to a surface to be sensed,or an object disposed near a surface to be sensed, by using anelectromagnetic field or infrared rays without a mechanical contact. Theproximity sensor 141 has a longer lifespan and a more enhanced utilitythan a contact sensor.

The proximity sensor 141 may include a transmissive type photoelectricsensor, a direct reflective type photoelectric sensor, a mirrorreflective type photoelectric sensor, a high-frequency oscillationproximity sensor, capacitance type proximity sensor, a magnetic typeproximity sensor, an infrared rays proximity sensor, and so on. When thetouch screen is implemented as capacitance type, proximity of a pointerto the touch screen is sensed by changes of an electromagnetic field. Inthis case, the touch screen (touch sensor) may be categorized into aproximity sensor.

Hereinafter, for the sake of brief explanation, a status that thepointer is positioned to be proximate onto the touch screen withoutcontact will be referred to as ‘proximity touch’, whereas a status thatthe pointer substantially comes in contact with the touch screen will bereferred to as ‘contact touch’. For the position corresponding to theproximity touch of the pointer on the touch screen, such positioncorresponds to a position where the pointer faces perpendicular to thetouch screen upon the proximity touch of the pointer.

The proximity sensor 141 senses proximity touch, and proximity touchpatterns (e.g., distance, direction, speed, time, position, movingstatus, etc.). Information relating to the sensed proximity touch andthe sensed proximity touch patterns may be output onto the touch screen.

When a touch sensor is overlaid on the stereoscopic display unit 152 ina layered manner (hereinafter, referred to as ‘stereoscopic touchscreen’), or when the stereoscopic display unit 152 and a 3D sensorsensing a touch operation are combined, the stereoscopic display unit152 may also be used as a 3D input device.

As examples of the 3D sensor, the sensing unit 140 may include aproximity sensor 141, a stereoscopic touch sensing unit 142, anultrasonic sensing unit 143, and a camera sensing unit 144.

The proximity sensor 141 detects the distance between a sensing object(e.g., the user's finger or a stylus pen) applying a touch by using theforce of electromagnetism or infrared rays without a mechanical contactand a detect surface. By using the distance, the terminal recognizeswhich portion of a stereoscopic image has been touched. In particular,when the touch screen is an electrostatic touch screen, the degree ofproximity of the sensing object is detected based on a change of anelectric field according to proximity of the sensing object, and a touchto the 3D image is recognized by using the degree of proximity.

The stereoscopic touch sensing unit 142 is configured to detect thestrength or duration of a touch applied to the touch screen. Forexample, the stereoscopic touch sensing unit 142 may sense touchpressure. When the pressure is strong, it may recognize the touch as atouch with respect to an object located farther away from the touchscreen toward the inside of the terminal.

The ultrasonic sensing unit 143 is configured to recognize positioninformation of the sensing object by using ultrasonic waves.

The ultrasonic sensing unit 143 may include, for example, an opticalsensor and a plurality of ultrasonic sensors. The optical sensor isconfigured to sense light and the ultrasonic sensors may be configuredto sense ultrasonic waves. Since light is much faster than ultrasonicwaves, a time for which the light reaches the optical sensor is muchshorter than a time for which the ultrasonic wave reaches the ultrasonicsensor. Therefore, a position of a wave generation source may becalculated by using a time difference from the time that the ultrasonicwave reaches based on the light as a reference signal.

The camera sensing unit 144 includes at least one of a camera, a photosensor, and a laser sensor.

For example, the camera and the laser sensor may be combined to detect atouch of the sensing object with respect to a 3D stereoscopic image.When distance information detected by a laser sensor is added to a 2Dimage captured by the camera, 3D information can be obtained.

In another example, a photo sensor may be laminated on the mobileterminal. The photo sensor is configured to scan a movement of thesensing object in proximity to the touch screen. In detail, the photosensor includes photo diodes and transistors at rows and columns to scancontent mounted on the photo sensor by using an electrical signalchanging according to the quantity of applied light. Namely, the photosensor calculates the coordinates of the sensing object according tovariation of light to thus obtain position information of the sensingobject.

The audio output module 153 may convert and output as sound audio datareceived from the wireless communication unit 110 or stored in thememory 160 in a call signal reception mode, a call mode, a record mode,a voice recognition mode, a broadcast reception mode, and the like.Also, the audio output module 153 may provide audible outputs related toa particular function performed by the mobile terminal 100 (e.g., a callsignal reception sound, a message reception sound, etc.). The audiooutput module 153 may include a speaker, a buzzer or the like.

The alarm unit 154 outputs a signal for informing about an occurrence ofan event of the mobile terminal 100. Events generated in the mobileterminal may include call signal reception, message reception, keysignal inputs, a touch input etc. In addition to video or audio signals,the alarm unit 154 may output signals in a different manner, forexample, using vibration to inform about an occurrence of an event. Thevideo or audio signals may be also outputted via the audio output module153, so the display unit 151 and the audio output module 153 may beclassified as parts of the alarm unit 154.

A haptic module 155 generates various tactile effects the user may feel.A typical example of the tactile effects generated by the haptic module155 is vibration. The strength and pattern of the haptic module 155 canbe controlled. For example, different vibrations may be combined to beoutputted or sequentially outputted.

Besides vibration, the haptic module 155 may generate various othertactile tactile effects such as an effect by stimulation such as a pinarrangement vertically moving with respect to a contact skin, a sprayforce or suction force of air through a jet orifice or a suctionopening, a contact on the skin, a contact of an electrode, electrostaticforce, etc., an effect by reproducing the sense of cold and warmth usingan element that can absorb or generate heat.

The haptic module 155 may be implemented to allow the user to feel atactile effect through a muscle sensation such as fingers or arm of theuser, as well as transferring the tactile effect through a directcontact. Two or more haptic modules 155 may be provided according to theconfiguration of the mobile terminal 100.

The memory 160 may store software programs used for the processing andcontrolling operations performed by the controller 180, or maytemporarily store data (e.g., a phonebook, messages, still images,video, etc.) that are inputted or outputted. In addition, the memory 160may store data regarding various patterns of vibrations and audiosignals outputted when a touch is inputted to the touch screen.

The memory 160 may include at least one type of storage medium includinga Flash memory, a hard disk, a multimedia card micro type, a card-typememory (e.g., SD or DX memory, etc), a Random Access Memory (RAM), aStatic Random Access Memory (SRAM), a Read-Only Memory (ROM), anElectrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), aProgrammable Read-Only memory (PROM), a magnetic memory, a magneticdisk, and an optical disk. Also, the mobile terminal 100 may be operatedin relation to a web storage device that performs the storage functionof the memory 160 over the Internet.

The interface unit 170 serves as an interface with every external deviceconnected with the mobile terminal 100. For example, the externaldevices may transmit data to an external device, receives and transmitspower to each element of the mobile terminal 100, or transmits internaldata of the mobile terminal 100 to an external device. For example, theinterface unit 170 may include wired or wireless headset ports, externalpower supply ports, wired or wireless data ports, memory card ports,ports for connecting a device having an identification module, audioinput/output (I/O) ports, video I/O ports, earphone ports, or the like.

The identification module may be a chip that stores various informationfor authenticating the authority of using the mobile terminal 100 andmay include a user identity module (UIM), a subscriber identity module(SIM) a universal subscriber identity module (USIM), and the like. Inaddition, the device having the identification module (referred to as‘identifying device’, hereinafter) may take the form of a smart card.Accordingly, the identifying device may be connected with the terminal100 via the interface unit 170.

When the mobile terminal 100 is connected with an external cradle, theinterface unit 170 may serve as a passage to allow power from the cradleto be supplied therethrough to the mobile terminal 100 or may serve as apassage to allow various command signals inputted by the user from thecradle to be transferred to the mobile terminal therethrough. Variouscommand signals or power inputted from the cradle may operate as signalsfor recognizing that the mobile terminal is properly mounted on thecradle.

The controller 180 typically controls the general operations of themobile terminal. For example, the controller 180 performs controllingand processing associated with voice calls, data communications, videocalls, and the like. The controller 180 may include a multimedia module181 for reproducing multimedia data. The multimedia module 181 may beconfigured within the controller 180 or may be configured to beseparated from the controller 180.

The controller 180 may perform a pattern recognition processing torecognize a handwriting input or a picture drawing input performed onthe touch screen as characters or images, respectively.

Also, the controller 180 may execute a lock state to restrict a userfrom inputting inputting control commands for applications when a stateof the mobile terminal meets a preset condition. Also, the controller180 may control a lock screen displayed in the lock state based on atouch input sensed on the display unit 151 in the lock state of themobile terminal.

The power supply unit 190 receives external power or internal power andsupplies appropriate power required for operating respective elementsand components under the control of the controller 180.

Various embodiments described herein may be implemented in acomputer-readable or its similar medium using, for example, software,hardware, or any combination thereof.

For hardware implementation, the embodiments described herein may beimplemented by using at least one of application specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signalprocessing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), fieldprogrammable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers,micro-controllers, microprocessors, electronic units designed to performthe functions described herein. In some cases, such embodiments may beimplemented by the controller 180 itself.

For software implementation, the embodiments such as procedures orfunctions described herein may be implemented by separate softwaremodules. Each software module may perform one or more functions oroperations described herein.

Software codes can be implemented by a software application written inany suitable programming language. The software codes may be stored inthe memory 160 and executed by the controller 180.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a mobile terminal according to thepresent invention, and FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the mobileterminal of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the mobile terminal 200 according to thepresent invention is provided with a bar type terminal body 204.However, the present invention is not limited to this, but may beapplied to a slide type in which two or more bodies are coupled to eachother so as to perform a relative motion, a folder type, a swing type,and the like. Further, the mobile terminal of the present invention maybe applied to any portable electronic device having a camera and aflash, for instance, a portable phone, a smart phone, a notebookcomputer, a digital broadcasting terminal, Personal Digital Assistants(PDAs), Portable Multimedia Players (PMO), etc.

The mobile terminal 200 includes a terminal body 204 which forms theappearance thereof.

A case (casing, housing, cover, etc.) which forms the appearance of theterminal body 204 may include a front case 201, a rear case 202, and abattery cover 203 for covering the rear surface of the rear case 202.

A space formed by the front case 201 and the rear case 202 mayaccommodate various components therein. Such cases may be formed byinjection-molded synthetic resin, or may be formed using a metallicmaterial such as stainless steel (STS) or titanium (Ti).

On the front surface of the terminal body 204, may be disposed a displayunit 210, a first audio output unit 211, a front camera 216, a side key214, an interface unit 215, and a signal input unit 217.

The display unit 210 includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) module,organic light organic light emitting diodes (OLED) module, e-paper,etc., each for visually displaying information. The display unit 210 mayinclude a touch sensing means for inputting information in a touchmanner. Hereinafter, the display unit 210 including the touch sensingmeans is called ‘touch screen’. Once part on the touch screen 210 istouched, content corresponding to the touched position is input. Thecontent input in a touch manner, may be characters, or numbers, or menuitems which can be set in each mode. The touch sensing means may betransmissive so that the display can be viewed, and may include astructure for enhancing visibility of the touch screen at a brightplace. Referring to FIG. 2, the touch screen 210 occupies most of thefront surface of the front case 201.

The first audio output unit 211 may be implemented as a receiver fortransmitting a call sound to a user's ear, or a loud speaker foroutputting each type of alarm sound or a playback sound of multimedia.

The front camera 216 processes image frames such as still images ormoving images, acquired by an image sensor in a video call mode or acapturing mode. The processed image frames may be displayed on thedisplay unit 210.

The image frames processed by the front camera 216 may be stored in thememory 160, or may be transmitted to the outside through the wirelesscommunication unit 110. The front camera 216 may be implemented in twoor more according to a user's interface.

The user input unit 217 is manipulated to receive a command forcontrolling the operation of the mobile terminal 200, and may include aplurality of input keys. The input keys may be referred to asmanipulation portions, and may include any type of ones that can bemanipulated in a user's tactile manner.

For instance, the user input unit 217 may be implemented as a domeswitch, or switch, or a touch screen, or a touch pad for inputtingcommands or information in a user's push or touch manner. Alternatively,the user input unit 217 may be implemented, for example, as a wheel forrotating a key, a jog, or a joystick. The user input unit 217 isconfigured to input various commands such as START, END and SCROLL.

A side key 214, an interface unit 215, an audio input unit 213, etc. aredisposed on the side surface of the front case 201.

The side key 214 may be called ‘manipulation unit’, and may beconfigured to receive commands for controlling the operation of themobile terminal 200. The side key 214 may include any type of ones thatcan be manipulated in a user's tactile manner. Content input by the sidekey 214 may be variously set. For instance, through the side key 214,may be input commands such as controlling the front and rear cameras 216and 251, controlling the level of sound output from the audio outputunit 211, and converting a current mode of the display unit 210 into atouch recognition mode.

The audio output unit 213 may be implemented as a microphone forreceiving a user's voice, other sound, etc.

The interface unit 215 serves a path through which the mobile terminal200 performs data exchange, etc. with an external device. For example,the interface unit 215 may be at least one of a connection terminalthrough which the mobile terminal 200 is connected to an ear phone bycable or radio, a port for local area communication, e.g., an infrareddata association (IrDA) port, a Bluetooth portion, a wireless LAN port,and power supply terminals for supplying power to the mobile terminal200. The interface unit 215 may be a card socket for accommodating anexternal card such as a subscriber identification module (SIM) card, auser identity module (UIM) card or a memory card for storinginformation.

A power supply unit 240 and the rear camera 221 are disposed on the rearsurface of the body 204.

A flash 222 and a mirror (not shown) may be disposed close to the rearcamera 221. When capturing an object by using the rear camera 221, theflash 222 provides light onto the object.

When the user captures an image of himself/herself by using the rearcamera 221, the mirror can be used for the user to look athimself/herself therein.

The rear camera 221 may face a direction which is opposite to adirection faced by the front camera 216, and may have different pixelsfrom those of the front camera 216.

For example, the front camera 216 may operate with relatively lowerpixels (lower resolution). Thus, the front camera 216 may be useful whena user can capture his face and send it to another party during a videocall or the like. On the other hand, the rear camera 221 may operatewith a relatively higher pixels (higher resolution) such that it can beuseful for a user to obtain higher quality pictures for later use. Thefront camera 216 and the rear camera 221 may be installed at theterminal body 204 so as to rotate or pop-up.

The power supply unit 240 is configured to supply power to the mobileterminal 200. The power supply unit 240 may be mounted in the terminalbody 204, or may be detachably mounted to the terminal body 204.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 4, the mobile terminal includes a window 210 a and adisplay module 210 b which constitute the display 210. The window 210 amay be bonded to one side of the front case 201. The window 210 a andthe display module 210 b may be integral with the display module 210 b.

A metal frame 300 is formed between the front case 201 and the rear case202 case 202 to support electric elements between them. The metal frame300, a support structure inside the terminal, is formed in a way thatsupports at least one of a display module 210, a camera module 221, anantenna device, a battery 240, and a circuit board, for example.

Part of the metal frame 300 may be exposed outside the terminal. Also,the metal frame 300 may constitute part of a sliding module thatinterconnects a main body and a display in a slide-type terminal, ratherthan a bar-type.

FIG. 4 illustrates, for example, that a main circuit board 251 isdisposed between the metal frame 300 and the rear case 202 and thedisplay module 210 b is bonded to one side of the metal frame 300. Themain circuit board 251 and a battery may be disposed on the other sideof the metal frame 300, and a battery case 203 may be bonded to the rearcase 202 so as to cover the battery.

The window 210 a is bonded to one side of the front case 201. A touchsensing pattern may be formed on one side of the window 210 a to sense atouch. The touch sensing pattern is configured to sense a touch inputand transmit light therethrough. The touch sensing pattern may bemounted on the front side of the window 210 a and configured to converta change in voltage, etc in a specific region of the window 210 a intoan electric input signal.

The display module 210 b is mounted on the back side of the window 210a. This embodiment discloses a thin film transistor-liquid crystaldisplay (TFT LCD) as an example of the display module 210 b, however,the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto.

For example, the display module 210 b may be a liquid crystal display(LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), a flexible display, a 3Ddisplay, and so on.

The main circuit board 251 may be mounted at the bottom of the displaymodule module 210 b, as well as on one side of the metal frame 300, asdiscussed above. And, at least one electronic element is mounted on thebottom side of the main circuit board 251.

A battery holder 262 which is recessed to hold the battery may be formedon the metal frame 300. A contact terminal which is connected to themain circuit board 251 to allow the battery 240 to supply power to theterminal body may be formed on one side of the battery holder 262.

An antenna device may be formed in the upper and lower parts of themobile terminal. Moreover, a plurality of antenna devices may bedisposed at either end of the terminal, each of the antenna devicesbeing adapted to transmit and receive radio signals in differentfrequency bands. Such an antenna device may include conductive membersthat are formed on one side of a carrier. For example, a carrier withconductive members may be placed at the bottom of the terminal.

The metal frame 300 may operate as the ground. That is, the main circuitboard 251 or the antenna device may be grounded to the metal frame 300,and the metal frame 300 may operate as the ground of the main circuitboard 251 or antenna device. In this case, the metal frame 300 canextend the ground of the mobile terminal.

The main circuit board 251 is electrically connected to the antennadevice, and configured to process radio signals (or radioelectromagnetic waves) transmitted and received by the antenna device.For radio signal processing, a plurality of transceiver circuits may beformed or mounted on the main circuit board 251.

The transceiver circuits may include at least one integrated circuit andrelated electric elements. For example, the transceiver circuits mayinclude a transmitter integrated circuit, a receiver integrated circuit,a switching circuit, an amplifier, etc.

A plurality of transceiver circuits may cause a plurality of antennadevices to simultaneously operate by simultaneously feeding theconductive members with a radiating conductive pattern. For instance,any one of two antenna devices can transmit while the other isreceiving. Alternatively, both of them can transmit or receive.

A coaxial cable may be formed to connect the circuit board with eachantenna device. For example, the coaxial cable may be connected tofeeding devices for feeding antenna devices.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 5, a first case 201 may be bonded to the front side ofthe metal frame 300, and a second case 202 may be bonded to the backside. The first case 201 may be a front case, and the second case 202may be a rear case.

The metal frame 300 includes a base portion 310 and an edge portion 320,and may form the outer appearance of the terminal body, with part of itexposed to the outside, as well as it supports the inside of theterminal body.

The base portion 310 may be in the form of a flat panel and have thedisplay 210 on the front side. In this case, one side of the display 210may be brought into contact with the base portion 310 and supported bythe base portion 310. The display 210 may include the display module 210b and the window 210 a, and the display module 210 b and the window 210a may be integral. And, the display 210 may be bonded to the terminal insuch a way that the window 210 a constituting the display 210 is mountedto the first case 201. The first case 201 may include a window holder201 c to which the window 201 is bonded.

The edge portion 320 may be formed along the outer edge of the baseportion portion 310, and exposed outside the terminal body between thefirst and second cases 201 and 202. The edge portion 320 may beconnected to the base portion 310 to let internal heat out. In thiscase, at least one part may come into contact with the base portion 310.

The base portion 310 and the edge portion 320 may be separated off fromeach other by a non-metal coupling portion 330. The non-metal couplingportion 330 may be made of synthetic resin, etc, and the non-metalcoupling portion 330 may be integrated with the metal frame 300 byplastic overmolding.

When the first case 201 is bonded to the front side of the metal frame300 and the second case 202 is bonded to the back side, waterprooflayers may be formed between the case 201 and 202 and the metal frame300. In one example, a first waterproof layer 201 b may be formedbetween the metal frame 300 and the first case 201, and a secondwaterproof layer 205 may be formed between the metal frame 300 and thesecond case 202.

The waterproof layers 201 b and 205 may be formed between the cases 201and 202 and the non-metal coupling portion 330 covering the metal frame300. That is, one side of the waterproof layers 201 b and 205 may beclosely attached to the non-metal coupling portion 330 because membersfor waterproof purpose may be attached better on a non-metal surfacethan on a metal surface.

The first waterproof layer 201 b may be disposed to fill the gap betweenthe first the first case 201 and the metal frame 300. In this case, ifone side of the metal frame 300 is covered by the non-metal couplingportion 330, the first waterproof layer 201 b may be formed between thenon-metal coupling portion 330 and the first case 201. Two sides of thefirst waterproof layer 201 b may be attached to the first case 201 andthe metal frame 300, respectively, or attached to the first case 201 andthe non-metal coupling portion 330, respectively. The first waterprooflayer 201 b of this type may be formed of double-sided tape.

The second waterproof layer 205 may be bonded to the second case 202. Tothis end, the second case 202 may include a groove portion 202 b. Thegroove portion 202 b may be formed along the edge of the second case202. The second waterproof layer 205 may include a first member 205 aand a second member 205 b, and the first member 205 a may be bonded tothe groove portion 202 b. The second member 205 b may protrude from thefirst member 205 a, and may be deformed toward the inside of theterminal when the second case 202 is bonded to the metal frame 300. Thesecond member 205 b of this type may be formed of an elastic rubbermaterial.

Further, a third waterproof layer 201 a may be formed between the windowholder 201 c and the window 210 a. The third waterproof layer 201 a maybe formed of double-sided tape, both sides of which are attached to thewindow holder 201 c and the window 210 a, respectively.

On the other hand, the second case 202 may include an opening 202 athrough which the battery 240 is exposed, and a third case 203 may bebonded to the second case 202 or the metal frame 300 so as to cover theopening 202 a and the second case 202.

The internal space of the terminal may be sealed by the above-explainedwaterproof layers. That is, the waterproof layers may form an enclosedinternal space in the terminal.

In this way, the metal frame 300 according to the present invention maybe configured to fulfill both of the heat release and waterprooffunctions. Besides, the metal frame 300 may be connected to otherconductive members constituting the antenna so that the metal frame 300on the outside operates as an antenna radiator.

FIG. 6 is a rear view of a metal frame 300 according to an embodiment ofthe of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a view of the metal frame 300 ofFIG. 6 with a non-metal coupling portion 330 bonded to it. FIG. 8 is aview showing the front side of FIG. 7. FIG. 6 illustrates the metalframe 300 with the non-metal coupling portion 330 not bonded to it.FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate the back side and front side of the metal frame300 with the non-metal coupling portion 330 bonded to it.

Referring to FIGS. 6 to 8, the metal frame 300 includes a base portion310 and an edge portion 320, and the base portion 310 and the edgeportion 320 are separated off on the front and back sides of the metalframe 300 by the non-metal coupling portion 330, which is to be bondedto the metal frame 300.

The metal frame 300 and the non-metal coupling portion 330 may beintegrated by plastic overmolding. Plastic overmolding is one of themolding methods by which a plastic member is integrated with a metalmember. For plastic overmolding, at least one hole may be formed in themetal frame 300 where the non-metal coupling portion 330 is bonded. Tocover this hole, the non-metal coupling portion 330 may be integratedwith the metal frame 300 when the non-metal coupling portion 330 isinjection-molded and hardened.

A plurality of regions may be formed on the back side of the metal frame300. These regions may be separated off by a rib 311 that protrudes fromthe back side of the metal frame 300.

The first region R1 is a region that is formed in the upper part of theback side of back side of the metal frame 300, and the main circuitboard 251 may be disposed on the first region R1. The second region R2is a region that is formed in the middle of the back side of the metalframe 300, and the battery 240 which supplies power to the mobileterminal may be disposed on the second region R2. The third region R3may be formed below the second region R2, and separated off from thesecond region R2 by the rib 311. A sub circuit board 252 may be disposedon the third region R3.

A plurality of electric elements 251 a may be mounted on one side of themain circuit board 251. These electric elements may be microprocessorsfor communication that operate at high speed, or microprocessors forother purposes than communication. Especially, these electric elementsmay be communication chips including a modem chip, an RF transceiverchip, and an RF receiver chip and/or power-supply chips including a PA(power amplifier) chip and a PMIC (power management IC) chip. Theabove-described communication chips and/or power-supply chips maygenerate a large amount of heat during operation. That is, in view ofthe characteristic of the terminal which is getting advanced, wirelesscommunication devices consumes a higher percentage of entire power usedby the terminal and an absolute amount of power used by the wirelesscommunication device increases as well. This accordingly causes anincrease in the quantity of heat generated by the wireless communicationdevice. Therefore, if the heat generated by the wireless communicationdevice is effectively discharged to the outside of the terminal, thetemperature of the terminal may be overall controlled within a stablerange. The power-supply chips which carry out power supply, conversion,rectification and charging with respect to the wireless communicationdevice may also generate heat due to internal resistance. The terminalaccording to the embodiment of the present invention may effectivelyrelease the heat generated by the electric elements out of the terminalthrough the metal frame 300, resulting in overall controlling thetemperature of the terminal into a stable range.

These electric elements 251 a may be disposed to be covered with athermally conductive shielding member. Due to this, heat may betransferred to the metal frame 300 through the shielding member when theshielding member and the metal frame 300 come into contact with eachother.

In addition, heat may be transferred to the metal frame 300 as theelectric elements 251 a come into direct contact with the metal frame300. Besides, the heat caused by the electric elements may betransferred to the metal frame 300 when the electric elements and themetal frame 300 are not in contact with each other.

FIG. 9 is a view showing a battery, circuit boards, etc being mounted onthe metal frame with the non-metal coupling portion of FIG. 7 bonded toit.

Referring to FIG. 7 and FIG. 9, the back side of the metal frame 300 maybe partitioned into the first to third regions R1, R2, and R3.

The main circuit board 251 is disposed on the first region R1, and thebattery 240 is disposed on the second region R2. The sub circuit board252 is disposed on the third region R3.

Referring to FIG. 7, the metal frame 300 includes a first throughportion 312, and a first flexible circuit board 210 c (see FIG. 4)interconnecting the display 210 and the sub circuit board 252 passesthrough the first through portion 312. The first through portion 312 maybe formed in the third region R3. The display 210 on the front side andthe sub circuit board 252 on the back side, with the metal frame 300interposed between them, may be connected by the first flexible circuitboard 210 c.

In this case, the sub circuit board 252 may include at least oneelectric element element that is adapted to transmit signals to thedisplay 210 or control the display 210. Further, the sub circuit board252 may include at least one electric element that is adapted to receivea touch sensing signal from a touch sensing pattern and process it. Thetouch sensing pattern and the sub circuit board 252 may be connected bythe first flexible circuit board 210 c. To this end, the first flexiblecircuit board 210 c may include a plurality of lines, and some of theselines may interconnect the display 210 and the sub circuit board 252,and the other lines may interconnect the touch sensing pattern and thesub circuit board 252.

Referring to FIG. 9, the main circuit board 251 and the sub circuitboard 252 are spaced apart from each other, with the battery 240interposed between them. A second flexible circuit board 261 and 262that interconnects the main circuit board 251 and the sub circuit board252 may be further provided to electrically connect the main circuitboard 251 and sub circuit board 252 spaced apart from each other andtransmit or receive signals.

In this case, part of the second flexible circuit board 261 and 262 maycover the battery 240 and extend from the main circuit board 251 to thesub circuit board 252. This is because the main circuit board 251 andthe sub circuit board 252 are spaced apart from each other, with thebattery 240 between them. If the battery 240 is not a removable type butan integral type, it is better for the assembling process to connect themain circuit board 251 and the sub circuit board 252 by means of thesecond flexible circuit board 261 and 262 after mounting the battery240, the main circuit board 251, and the sub circuit board 252 on theback side of the metal frame 300. The volume of the battery 240 may goup or down depending on how the battery 240 is used. Accordingly, thesecond flexible circuit board 261 and 262 is disposed so as to cover thebattery 240, leaving a margin of a certain length or more, so that itremains connected to the main circuit board 251 or the sub circuit board252 even with an increase in the volume of the battery 240.

A coaxial cable 263 may be further provided to electrically connect themain circuit board 251 and sub circuit board 252 spaced apart from eachother.

The non-metal coupling portion 330 may include a socket mounting portion331 portion 331 where a socket 219 adapted to electrically connectexternal equipment is mounted. The socket mounting portion 331 and thethird region R3 may be separated off by a barrier rib 332. The barrierrib 332 includes a second through portion 333 through which a thirdflexible circuit board 254 passes. The sub circuit board 252 and thesocket 219 may be electrically connected through the third flexiblecircuit board 254 that passes through the second through portion 333.

When the second case 202 is bonded to the metal frame 300, a secondmember 205 b may be closely attached to the barrier rib 332, andwater-seal the inside of the terminal while being closely attached toit.

FIG. 10 is a view showing the front side of the second case 202according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a viewshowing the back side of the second case 202 according to an embodimentof the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 10, the second waterproof layer 205 may be formed onthe front side of the second case 202. The second waterproof layer 205may be bonded to the second case 202. To this end, the second case 202may include a groove portion 202 b. The groove portion 202 b may beformed along the edge of the second case 202. The second waterprooflayer 205 may include a first member 205 a and a second member 205 b,and the first member 205 a may be bonded to the groove portion 202 b.The second member 205 b may protrude from the first member 205 a, andmay be deformed toward the inside of the terminal when the second case202 is bonded to the metal frame 300. The second member 205 b of thistype may be formed of an elastic rubber material.

The second case 202 includes an opening 202 a, and the opening 202 a isis formed to expose the battery 240. The volume of the battery 240 maygo up or down depending on how the battery 240 is used, and the opening20 a may provide a space that expands when the battery volume increases.

Referring to FIG. 11, the second case 202 may include a first recess 202c that is recessed from one side of the second case 202 along the outeredge of the opening 202 a. Since foreign substances may enter theopening 202 a, a fourth waterproof layer 202 d (see FIG. 5) may beformed on the first recess 202 c.

Moreover, a plurality of conductive members may be formed in the upperand lower parts of the second case 202.

FIGS. 12 a and 12 b are conceptual views showing a comparative exampleand an embodiment, respectively, which illustrate examples in whichslits are cut through edge members.

Referring to FIG. 12 a, slits 51 are cut open widthwise (x-axis) alongthe terminal body 10. In this case, if the user grab the terminal bodywith a conductive case that forms the outer appearance, the palm willcover the slits where the antenna device mainly radiates. This maycreate a hand effect which causes a reduction in the radiationefficiency of the antenna.

FIG. 12 b illustrates a terminal with slits S2 open lengthwise (y-axis)along the terminal body in order to prevent a reduction in antennaefficiency due to a hand effect according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. The slits S2 may be covered with a non-conductivemember. Especially, as illustrated therein, the slits S2 according tothe present invention may be formed on the edge portion 320.

In this way, according to the embodiment of the present invention, theslits S2 are open to the bottom of the terminal body, whereby the mainradiation area is directed lengthwise outward from the bottom of theterminal. Accordingly, deterioration of radiation characteristics due toa hand effect in a high-frequency band can be reduced.

FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing the positions of antenna devicesaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 13, first to fourth antenna devices ANT1, ANT2, ANT3,and ANT4 may be formed by using the edge members of the metal frame aspart of antenna radiators.

The first and second antenna devices ANT1 and ANT2 may be formed at thebottom of the mobile terminal, and the third and fourth antenna devicesANT3 and ANT4 may be formed at the top of the mobile terminal.

As shown in FIG. 13, the antenna devices ANT1, ANT2, ANT3, and ANT4 maybe disposed adjacent to each other at the top and bottom of the mobileterminal. When any one of the antenna devices at the top or bottom ofthe mobile terminal transmits a signal, part of the transmitted signalmay affect the other antenna device.

For example, when the first antenna device ANT1 transmits a signal,other currents induced by the current flowing along the surface of thefirst antenna device ANT1 may flow along the surface of the secondantenna device ANT2. Such mutual coupling exerts a greater effect as thedistance d between the first antenna device ANT1 and the second antennadevice ANT2 becomes shorter. Mutual coupling, which is caused by theproximity of the first and second antenna devices ANT1 and ANT2, maylead to a loss of the transmission power of the first antenna deviceANT1 and a decline in the performance of a transmitter connected to theadjacent second antenna device ANT2, and may also have an adverse effectsuch as receiver saturation or a drop in sensitivity. Moreover, thecurrents induced to the adjacent second antenna device ANT2 will distortthe gain pattern.

The influence of mutual coupling can be diminished by electricallyisolating the first antenna device ANT1 and the second antenna deviceANT2 from each other. As a method of electric isolation, the firstantenna device ANT1 and the second antenna device ANT2 may be isolatedfrom each other by no less than half A/2 the wavelength of thefundamental frequency. However, it is practically impossible to use thismethod because a small-sized terminal, such as a mobile terminal, usesfrequencies from 700 to 800 MHz and the value of λ/2 reaches 400 mm.

Especially, in a system equipped with a plurality of antennas thatoperate in MIMO or diversity mode, in order to ensure proper signaltransmission/reception performance, the mutual coupling coefficient andenvelope correlation coefficient between a primary antenna (a mainantenna at the transmitter or receiver side) and a secondary antenna (asub antenna at the receiver side of a diversity or MIMO system) must below.

For example, if the requirements for reception are met, including thatthe main antenna must operate in the same way as a single-receiver, thedifference in gain between antennas must be less than 6 dB, the envelopecorrelation coefficient (ECC) must be less than 0.5, the transmitterside always has to use the main antenna, and the antenna to antennaisolation must be greater than 8 dB, the antennas can operate well asMIMO antennas in LTE frequency bands.

Apart from the antenna's fundamental performance requirements, the mostdifficult requirement to meet when implementing MIMO antennas in themobile terminal is that the ECC, which is a measure of the correlationbetween two antennas, must be less than 0.5.

To satisfy these requirements, the two antenna devices are required tobe be spaced apart by a distance of one-half wavelength or more, or thetwo antenna devices need to be polarized in directions orthogonal toeach other as much as However, the length of one-half wavelength can goup to as high as 400 mm in case of LTE, the standard for 4G mobilecommunications, that uses the 700 MHz band, so it might be practicallydifficult to isolate the two antenna devices in the mobile terminal by adistance of one-half wavelength or more.

According to the present invention, in order to reduce mutual couplingbetween adjacent antenna devices, one of the antenna devices adopts adirect feeding method, and the other antenna device adopts an indirectfeeding method. Due to this, coupling between the antennas can bereduced.

As shown therein, the first and third antennas ANT1 and ANT3 areindirectly fed with electricity via capacitive coupling by usingconductive members and edge members, and the second and fourth antennadevices ANT2 and ANT4, which are respectively adjacent to the first andthird antenna devices ANT1 and ANT3, are directly fed with electricity.

Capacitive coupling can occur by arranging the conductive member and theedge member parallel at a predetermined distance from each other in agiven area.

Due to this capacitive coupling, the capacitive reactance of theantennas may increase. The resonance frequency decreases with increasingcapacitive reactance because the input impedance due to capacitance isinversely proportional to frequency. A decrease in resonance frequencymeans that the antenna devices can operate at shorter lengths in a lowerfrequency band because of capacitive coupling. That is, if the antennadevices include capacitively-coupled members, they can operate in alower frequency band within a smaller space.

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of firstand second antenna devices ANT1 and ANT2 formed at the bottom of amobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of thirdand fourth antenna devices ANT3 and ANT4 formed at the top of a mobileterminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 14, conductive members P1 and P2 constituting thefirst and second antenna devices may be formed on one side and the otherside of the second case 202 at the bottom of the mobile terminal. Theantenna devices are configured to transceive signals in differentfrequency bands.

For example, the first antenna device ANT1 may be configured totransceive DCN 1× type or PCS 1× type signals, and the second antennadevice ANT2 may be configured to transceive DCN EVDO (Evolution-DataOptimized or Evolution-Data Only) type signals.

If the first antenna device ANT1 transceives LTE B4 type signals, thesecond antenna device ANT 2 may transceive LTE B13 type signals.

Alternatively, if the first antenna device ANT1 transceives signalscorresponding to voice service of the mobile terminal, the secondantenna device ANT2 may transceive data signals corresponding to LTEservice of the mobile terminal.

The edge portion 320 may include a plurality of edge members that areconfigured to radiate radio signals in different frequency bands. Theedge members may include a first edge member 321 and a second edgemember 322. These edge members may be configured to operate in differentfrequency bands. The edge members may constitute a radiator, togetherwith conductive members. These conductive members may be formed on thesecond case 202. The conductive members may include a first conductivemember P1 that is capacitively coupled to the first edge member 321 anda second conductive member P2 that is directly connected to the secondedge member 322.

Especially, in the second antenna device, the second edge member 322formed on the metal frame 300 and the conductive member P2 formed on thesecond case 202 are directly connected to each other. To this end, themetal frame 300 may further include a through hole 341 and a conductiveconnector 342. The through hole 341 and the conductive connector 342 maybe formed on the non-metal coupling portion 330 or the metal frame 300.If connected on the metal frame 300, the through hole 341 and theconductive connector 342 may form a part of the metal frame 300 which isnot covered with the non-metal coupling portion 330. The through hole341 is configured to allow for insertion of a fastening portion 291 thatpenetrates the second case 202. When the fastening portion 291 isinserted through the through hole 341, the second edge member 322 andthe conductive member P2 are electrically connected together. Theconductive connector 342 has a conductive pattern that extends from theinner periphery of the through hole 341 to the second edge member 322,and is configured to electrically connect the through hole 341 and thesecond edge member 322 that are spaced apart from each other.

Feeding portions 255 a, 255 b, 255 c, and 255 d are parts that supplyelectric electric current to each member operating as a radiator, andmay be implemented through a combination of a balun, a phase shifter, adistributor, an attenuator, an amplifier, etc. The feeding portions maybe formed on the circuit board, and include a feeding connector. Thefeeding connector may be configured to electrically connect the feedingportions with the conductive members or to feed the conductive membersin an EM (Electro-Magnetic) feeding manner. The feeding connectors mayinclude at least one of a feeding board, a feeding clip and a feedingline. FIGS. 4, 14, and 15 illustrate the feeding portions 255 a, 255 b,255 c, and 255 d including feeding boards and feeding clips as thefeeding connectors.

The feeding portions 255 a and 255 b for feeding the conductive membersP1 and P2 are formed in the waterproof area. That is, the feedingportions are formed inside the second waterproof layer. The feedingportions 255 a and 255 b and the conductive members P1 and P2 areconnected together by feeding pins 256 that penetrate the second case202.

Referring to FIG. 14, the feeding portions 255 a and 255 b may bedisposed on the back side of the metal frame, and the display 210 may bedisposed on the front side of the metal frame. Since the feedingportions 255 a and 255 b are sensitive to electromagnetic effects, theantenna performance may be deteriorated due to the display 210 disposedon the front side of the metal frame. Accordingly, a shielding member340 (see FIG. 8) may be formed between the display 210 and the feedingportions 255 a and 255 b. If the feeding portions are formed on the subcircuit board 252, the shielding member 340 may be formed between thesub circuit board 252 and the display 210.

The shielding member 340 may be made of a material such as stainlesssteel or an aluminum alloy.

The socket 219 and the sub circuit board 252 are interconnected by thethird third flexible circuit board 254, and an earphone jack coupler 219a where an earphone jack is inserted is connected to the sub circuitboard 252 by the third flexible circuit board 254. In this case, thefeeding portions 255 a and 255 b are formed on the sub circuit board252, so the socket 219 or the earphone jack coupler 219 a also canoperate as a radiator by the operation of the feeding portions.Accordingly, a mismatch portion 219 b including at least one inductor orcapacitor may be included in the flexible circuit board so as to preventthe socket 219 or the earphone jack coupler 219 a from operating as aradiator.

The mismatch portion 219 b mismatches impedance in a blocking frequencyband. The impedance mismatching means that capacitors or inductors ofthe mismatch portion 219 b are tuned so that a reflection coefficient ofthe antenna devices can be close to 0 dB in a blocking frequency band.As used herein, the blocking frequency band refers to a frequency bandwhere the first or second antenna device ANT1 or ANT2 transceives radiosignals.

The mismatch portion 219 b may be implemented as conductive patterns onone surface of the third flexible circuit board. The conductive patternsmay serve as capacitors or inductors. Alternatively, lumped parameterelements may serve as capacitors or inductors.

The mismatch portion 219 b implemented through a combination ofcapacitors or inductors may operate as a shunt element or a serieselement. If the mismatch portion 219 b is implemented as a shuntelement, resistance, the real part of impedance, can be controlled. Forinstance, the inductor may have an increased resistance and thecapacitor may have a decreased resistance, thereby being tuned forimpedance mismatching in a blocking frequency band. If the mismatchportion 219 b is implemented as a shunt element, radio signals in theblocking frequency band are transmitted to the ground.

On the other hand, if mismatch portion 219 b is implemented as a serieselement, reactance, the imaginary part of impedance, can be controlled.For instance, the inductor may have an increased reactance, and thecapacitor may have a decreased reactance, thereby being tuned forimpedance matching in a blocking frequency band. If the mismatch portion219 b is implemented as a series element, radio signals in the blockingfrequency band are reflected. Alternatively, the mismatch portion 219 bmay be implemented through a combination of a shunt element and a serieselement.

Referring to FIG. 15, conductive members P3 and P4 constituting thethird and fourth antenna devices may be formed on one side and the otherside of the second case 202 at the top of the mobile terminal. Theantenna devices are configured to transceive signals in differentfrequency bands.

For example, the third antenna device ANT3 may be configured totransceive WIFI signals, and the second antenna device ANT4 may beconfigured to transceive GPS signals.

The edge portion 320 may include a plurality of edge members that areconfigured to radiate radio signals in different frequency bands. Theedge members may include a first edge member 323 and a second edgemember 324. These edge members may be configured to operate in differentfrequency bands. The edge members may constitute a radiator, togetherwith conductive members extending to the edge members. These conductivemembers may be formed on the second case 202. The conductive members mayinclude a third conductive member P3 that is capacitively coupled to thethird edge member 323 and a fourth conductive member P4 that is directlyconnected to the fourth edge member 324.

A conductive connector 257 is further provided to interconnect thefourth edge edge member 324 formed on the metal frame 300 and theconductive member P4 formed on the second case 202. The conductiveconnector 257 is formed on the back side of the main circuit board 251.The conductive member P4 and the fourth edge member 324 areinterconnected via a via hole (not shown), the feeding portion 255 d,and the conductive connector 257. In this case, the conductive connector257 may be disposed between the back side of the main circuit board 251and a groove portion 324 a formed in the fourth edge member 324.

The feeding portions 255 c and 255 d for feeding the conductive membersP3 and P4 are formed in the waterproof area. That is, the feedingportions are formed inside the second waterproof layer. The feedingportions include feeding clips (C clips) that penetrate the second case,and the conductive members are connected together by the feeding clips.

According to the present invention, in order to reduce mutual couplingbetween adjacent antenna devices, one of the antenna devices adopts adirect feeding method, and the other antenna device adopts an indirectfeeding method. Due to this, coupling between the antennas can bereduced.

FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of the thirdedge member 323 of FIG. 15.

The third edge member 323 is configured to cover another socket formedat the top of the mobile terminal. To this end, the third edge member323 is detachably coupled to the metal frame.

The third edge member 323 includes a metal body 323 a, a waterproofportion portion 323 b, and a hook portion 323 c. The metal body 323 a iscapacitively coupled to the third conductive member P3 to transceiveradio signals. The waterproof portion 323 b is configured to seal theinside, with the third edge member 323 bonded to the metal frame. Thatis, the third edge member 323 is closely attached to the metal framewhile bonded to the metal frame. The hook portion 323 c is configured toattach the metal body 323 a to at least one of the first case 201, thesecond case 202, and the metal frame 300. The hook portion 323 c is madeof a rubber material, and elastically deformed when the third edgemember 323 is detached.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mobile terminal comprising: a metal frame including a base portion and an edge portion located along an outer edge of the base portion; first and second cases provided at front and back sides, respectively, of the metal frame so as to expose the edge portion of the metal frame to the outside; first and second waterproof layers located between the metal frame and the first and second cases to form an enclosed space; conductive members located on the second case, the conductive members together with the edge portion of the metal frame forming a radiator for antennas; and feeding portions for feeding the conductive members, the feeding portions being located in the enclosed space formed by the waterproof layers.
 2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising a non-metal coupling portion integrated with the metal frame so as to separate an edge portion formation area and a base portion formation area.
 3. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein the waterproof layers are formed between the non-metal coupling portion and the first and second cases.
 4. The mobile terminal of claim 2, further comprising: a socket adapted to electrically connect to external equipment; a main circuit board located in the enclosed space; and a flexible circuit board interconnecting the socket and the main circuit board, wherein the non-metal coupling portion comprises a barrier rib defining a socket mounting portion where the socket is mounted, the barrier rib having a through portion therein to permit the flexible circuit board to pass therethrough to interconnect the socket and the main circuit board.
 5. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein the conductive members comprise: a first radiation member fed by a first one of the feeding portions; and a second radiation member fed by a second one of the feeding portions, wherein the first and second radiation members are located at one side of the second case that covers the socket mounting portion.
 6. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the edge portion comprises a first edge member and a second edge member, the socket being interposed between the first edge member and the second edge member, wherein the first radiation member and the first edge member are arranged in parallel and capacitively coupled to each other in a predetermined area, and wherein the second radiation member and the second edge member are directly connected to each other.
 7. The mobile terminal of claim 6, further comprising: a sub circuit board connected to the main circuit board, the feeding portions being located on the sub circuit board; and pins passing through the second case to connect one side of the first and second radiation members to the feeding portions.
 8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, further comprising a fastening portion passing through the second case to connect the second radiation member to the second edge member.
 9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the metal frame further comprises: a through hole through which the fastening portion passes; and a conductive connector extending from an inner periphery of the through hole to the second edge member.
 10. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the non-metal coupling portion comprises an earphone jack coupler for electrical connection to an external device, and wherein the earphone jack coupler is connected to the flexible circuit board.
 11. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein the flexible circuit board is connected to the sub circuit board, and wherein the flexible circuit board comprises a mismatch portion including at least one inductor or capacitor to prevent the earphone jack coupler from operating as an antenna radiator.
 12. The mobile terminal of claim 7, further comprising a display, wherein the display and the sub circuit board are respectively disposed on the front and back sides of the metal frame; and a shielding member located between the sub circuit board and the display.
 13. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the display comprises: a display module configured to display image information; and a window attached to the display module to cover one side of the display module, wherein the first case comprises a window holder to which the window is attached.
 14. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein a third waterproof layer is located between the window holder and the window.
 15. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the first and second edge members constituting a radiator for first and second antennas are formed at one side of the metal frame, and wherein third and fourth edge members constituting a radiator for third and fourth antennas are formed on an other side of the metal frame.
 16. The mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein the third edge member is detachably coupled to the metal frame.
 17. The mobile terminal of claim 16, wherein the third edge member comprises: a metal body; a waterproof portion formed along an edge of a back side of the metal body; and a hook portion configured to attach the metal body to at least one of the first case, the second case, and the metal frame.
 18. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein the metal body is capacitively coupled to one of the conductive members located on the second case.
 19. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein the metal frame comprises a hole covered by the non-metal coupling portion, and wherein the non-metal coupling portion is integrated with the metal frame by plastic overmolding.
 20. A mobile terminal comprising: a metal frame laterally exposed to the outside; a display and a main circuit board provided at first and second sides of the metal frame to release heat; first and second cases provided at the first and second sides of the metal frame to cover the display and the main circuit board; first and second waterproof layers located between the metal frame and the first and second cases to form an enclosed space; conductive members located on the second case; and feeding portions for feeding the conductive members, the feeding portions being located in the enclosed space formed by the waterproof layers.
 21. The mobile terminal of claim 20, wherein the metal frame comprises a base portion and an edge portion located along an outer edge of the base portion.
 22. The mobile terminal of claim 21, wherein the conductive members are formed on one side of the second case and together with the edge portion of the metal frame form a radiator for antennas. 